Institute for Justice

June 2009, Volume 18, Number 3

June 2009, Volume 18, Number 3

It sounds obvious: The First Amendment protects the right of ordinary citizens to talk about politics. But that has become a foreign concept to Congress and state legislatures, which keep eroding that right through so-called “campaign finance” laws. Unfortunately, these laws have moved well past the realm of regulating the financing of politicians’ campaigns and…

For three years, the Institute for Justice has been locked in a battle with an elitist faction of the interior design industry that seeks to legislate competitors out of business. This is among the most aggressive cartelization efforts IJ has ever encountered, and it represents a textbook example of “public choice theory”—where government officials act…

After years of intense litigation defending all four of Arizona’s school choice programs, significant decisions were released in March and April in each of these cases. The decisions ranged from gratifying to disappointing to heartbreaking. The most encouraging development was the Arizona Court of Appeals’ March 12, 2009, decision in Green v. Garriott upholding Arizona’s…

The Institute for Justice’s campaign to protect economic liberty continues roaring ahead with the filing of our challenge to Florida’s interior design cartel. Look for more such cases in the coming months. In the meantime, this spring IJ is launching another essential facet of our economic liberty campaign. Institute attorneys will travel to Milwaukee, Phoenix,…

Our national history is a history of folk heroes. From Betsy Ross and Harriet Tubman to Clara Barton, determined women have stood up to tyranny and battled great odds to do what was needed to improve the lives and lot of those around them. So it is with Institute for Justice client Susette Kelo, who,…

The right to protest eminent domain abuse is alive and well in Tennessee. That is the result of one of our recent First Amendment victories. In a decision issued in March 2009, Judge C.L. “Buck” Rogers of the Circuit Court for Sumner County, Tenn., dismissed the defamation lawsuit brought by Richard Swift, a developer who…

The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship’s growing legacy became visible this past May as generations of clients and students crowded together to celebrate the IJ Clinic’s tenth anniversary. For the past decade, the IJ Clinic has operated out of the University of Chicago Law School, uniting law students—who needed practical legal experience—with low- and…

IJ uses many tools to communicate with legislators about bills that are important to our cases. Often, a face-to-face meeting is the best way to deliver a message. Other times, we will use campaigns that involve letter writing, email or the telephone to demonstrate broad support (or outrage) on a particular issue. But for that…

The Institute for Justice just earned two gold “Communicator Awards” for our www.ij.org website and also for our San Tan Flat video, which IJ Assistant Director of Production & Design Isaac Reese produced entirely in-house. (For those of you looking for a good libertarian laugh, watch the three minute video here: www.ij.org/video/santanflat ). The Communicator…

We always say that IJ does long-term, strategic litigation. Our litigation in the case of Brody v. the Village of Port Chester is a perfect example of what that means. The Brody case has certainly been long-term—it is entering its ninth year. Unfortunately, the case has involved an enormous number of procedural disputes, and we…

As a supporter of the Institute for Justice’s efforts, you are undoubtedly aware of the excellent work it does across the country. But many of you may not know of the great opportunities IJ provides to college students, postgraduates and law students, ensuring that IJ’s work will continue for many years to come. As the…

After two years and a trip to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, we are pleased to declare victory over a Texas law that had barred interior designers from truthfully telling others that is what they do for a living. On April 22, 2009, the Fifth Circuit handed down a decision that systematically rejected…